Summary: A roundup of how religion is swaying the 2012 election, lessons from the Wisconsin Sikh shooting, two views on homosexuality in the Catholic Church, and Hilary and Celestine: a love story.

The Faith Factor in the Race for President

August 10, 2012

Jobs and the economy are still top issues in this year's presidential race, but religious concerns lend a certain X-factor. "When a voter is torn," says religion pollster Robert Jones, "whether or not they can identify with that candidate on a religious or moral level is the thing that sort of sways them." We count down the top election faith stories, from Obama's support of same-sex marriage to the Romney's visit to Israel.

Robert Jones, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Religion Research InstituteKim Lawton, Managing Editor of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

Lessons From the Wisconsin Sikh Shooting

August 10, 2012

With six dead and three wounded, the mass killing at a Sikh temple last week left many people asking, ‘Why?’ We explore why Sikhs have so often been the victims of hate crimes in America, and find out what to do about it.

Eve Tushnet is gay, Catholic, and proudly celibate. A recent convert, she decided she couldn't be a good Catholic and a practicing lesbian at the same time. She speaks to Sister Jeannine Gramick, the founder of a gay and lesbian outreach group, about the Church's stance on homosexuality.
Eve Tushnet, freelance writer in Washington, DCSister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry

Celestine and Hilary: A Love Story

August 10, 2012

When Celestine married Hilary 34 years ago, they were a typical heterosexual couple, bound by love and their vows of Catholic marriage. So seventeen years ago, when her then-husband came to realize her true identity - as a woman - Celestine had to make an unbelievable choice.